


Jingle All The Way

by utsushiame



Category: NG (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Ban guest stars. The rest are just offscreen., Character Study, Christmas Party, Family Feels, Gen, Implied/Referenced Murder, Post-Canon, Spoilers, Swearing, alcohol mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:20:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21853597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/utsushiame/pseuds/utsushiame
Summary: Christmas is fast approaching, but a certain someone isn't feeling the festive spirit.Spoilers for the Killer Peach/Demon Tsukuyomi cases.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 18





	Jingle All The Way

Reina hated Christmas.

Not because she was a Scrooge that turned her nose up at the concepts of charity and love. And not because she was a cynic who felt the whole thing was a vapid shell for commercialism- though, while she felt those who parroted that belief needed to take the stick out their ass, she also didn't feel like she could deny them the point. The sheer amount of money that went into the celebrations made her and her wallet a little queasy.

But that wasn't why she hated the holiday. It's what she let people believe, though, when she needed a convenient excuse to skip Secret Santa's and workplace outings. It was easier to let them think that she was just a curmudgeon.

It was also less painful.

So why, then, was she currently outside a bar full of festive celebrations, grainy old Christmas songs, and more eggnog than there really should’ve been at a gathering that included minors? That was a good question.

Well, it all came down to the fact that the thought of disappointing Ms. Kijima was so painful that Reina had all but felt forced to accept the invite. She’d already seen the woman at her lowest point, worrying herself into a drunken stupor as little Ami continued to be lost. The thought of upsetting her after that was reprehensible.

And also, maybe, the sight of someone so grief-stricken from the loss of their relative had struck a chord.

God, she hated Christmas. No matter what she did, or how hard she tried, her thoughts always looped back to the same point. Like the elevator at Moon Tower- though Reina hadn't ‘technically’ experienced it for herself, so she had trouble accepting that something as bizarre as time travel had really happened.

Spirits were one thing, but if you took them as a sign that anything was possible then that could only lead to chaos. Someone might get in their head that, if travelling through time was possible, then they could find a way back to ten years ago and…

She sighed, her breath escaping in a cloud of condensation. That was another reason to hate the holiday season: put it down to her hot-bloodedness, but she couldn't stand the colder weather. She liked the sun on her skin and the lack of layers to appreciate it, not cocooning herself up against the nippy air. _And_ running up her heating bill something fierce, couldn't forget that.

The only source of warmth was the coffee she nursed in her hands. Decaf, of course. The last thing she needed after a party was to be kept up all night. She wished it were booze instead, but it was a little early to be cracking that out, and she knew one of the wiseasses would be snide about it.

It'd been over a month since she'd last seen the kids. Ban and Rosé she kept up-to-date with, gathering the latest in supernatural news in exchange for turning a blind eye to Ban’s gambling and whatever mischief the stage magician got up to. Kijima and Amanome, on the other hand, were doing their best to avoid spirits like the plague- on top of that, the only other reason she had to check in with them had to do with their less scrupulous activities, and they weren't exactly lining up to discuss those.

That only left Hazuki, who was usually too busy to pester her about anything and everything supernatural; Ami, who was far too young and innocent to be wrapped up in Reina’s social circle; and Ms. Kijima, the reason she was here. Damn her gentle eyes. That she was related to Kijima the junior in any shape or form would baffle Reina for years to come.

Yuki would be about his age now. Suffering through the tail end of high school and probably too much of a teenage boy to accept the love and adoration of his older sister. Despite knowing that, Reina could never imagine him as anything besides the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed kid that stuck his tongue out while concentrating and always followed along with the poses when a sentai show was on the TV.

 _“I'll be a Ranger when I grow up!”_ he used to yell, knees bent with his hands curled into fists of justice. _“Just you see!”_

Reina hoped that a detective was close enough for him.

She felt her face heating up, but not for a reason she would've liked. She sucked the freezing air down her throat until she felt the hotness retreat, the shake in her breath evening out. Not tonight. She wouldn't let it beat her tonight.

She chugged down her drink and then rose her eyes to the inky sky. That's one thing she could appreciate at least. While the air was laced with pollution, the stars still shone out regardless, only seeming to glean brighter in the harsh winter night. Every now and then, Reina would sneak her way up to the roof of Moon Tower, where the view of them was even better.

Killer Peach was gone, her spirit now with her family in the afterlife. Reina knew that, and yet, sometimes, she could almost feel a second presence on those otherwise lonely nights. It was oddly comforting; not in the way that it brought her peace, but that her pain didn't feel so overwhelming when it was shared.

Everyone responsible for the fire had met justice at Killer Peach's hands. While Reina couldn't condone her actions, she also couldn't lie and act like it didn't bring her a small sense of satisfaction. Just enough for her to feel that, one day, she might not look on this month with so much condemnation.

But right now it was cold and uncomfortable and she knew she'd have to deal with little shits #1 and #2 throughout the evening. So sue her for feeling a little miserly.

A swathe of light cut through the darkness, marked by the gentle tinkle of a bell. “Oy, Ooe!” The gruff voice could only belong to Ban. His tall frame took up much of the door, his eyes squinting to catch her figure in the darkness. “Get in here. We need you to teach the brat a lesson.”

After a quick check that there was no tremor left in her throat, Reina replied. “Which one, and how, and why?”

“The moody one, arm wrestling, and do you really need a reason?”

“Fair.” With a small laugh, Reina rubbed a hand over her face, unaware of just how badly the cold had been nipping at her until she had the thought of warmth to contrast it. “He already cream you?”

“Well, you know… have to have one weakness to make up for the good looks, the brains, the charisma-” Something was mumbled inside, causing him to turn and bark at them. “Like you could do any better, Rosé!”

“What even lead to this anyway..?” Smiling wryly to herself, Reina shook off the cold and welcomed the warmth of the Black Rabbit, the commotion inside drowning out her thoughts.

It would take a while to recover. But, just for tonight, maybe Reina could forget.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written with all the pain and hardship of living through last-week Christmas shopping.
> 
> May your holidays be happy and with as little chaos as possible 😂🎄


End file.
